India - The North

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Hi there,

It doesn't seem like five minutes ago I was writing about Nepal and now it's time to give you the latest on our trip round India! Since Lewys' has already written his blog and told some of the funnier anecdotes I'll do my best to make this interesting...



India, where do I start? Even as I'm writing I know how impossible it's going to be to describe our first two weeks in this amazing country. I had read about it, I had seen pictures and I'd spoken to people who have visited, but nothing can prepare you for actually being here.



Delhi hits you like a ton of bricks. We thought Kathmandu was crazy but nothing compared to the mayhem that is Delhi. The city is just huge and and there are more people that you could possibly imagine - think rush hour in London, only with a lot more people, more noise, more filth, more traffic and more cows. Now imagine that as you walk down the street, dodging piles of rubbish, speeding motorbikes and wandering cattle, you are also the centre of attention. Every person stares at you when you walk past, asks you if you need a tuk-tuk, a sari, a USB stick or a pair of sunglasses (even though you are wearing sunglasses). "Hello my friend...come into my shop" echoes down the street and rickshaws crawl along beside you just in case after saying no five times you miraculously change your mind.



Every day in India has been an 'experience'. Every day throws up new challenges to test your patience, your level of tolerance is constantly pushed to the limit and your ability to cope with new situations is challenged. The stark contrast between the very rich and the impossibly poor is in evidence everywhere and poverty rears its ugly head wherever you go. Unlike Nepal, where there isn't such a wealthy elite, in India there is a clear divide between the haves and have-nots, which is hard to reconcile.India has also been fascinating. The places we have seen have been unforgettable, steeped in the history and the past grandeur of empires. The mighty subcontinent is vast and so far we have only seen a small part of it.



Our first full day in Delhi, still slightly shell-shocked, we wandered down Chandi Chouk, the main bazaar in Old Delhi. This huge street, lined with sari shops and spice sellers, leads up the majestic Red Fort - once the seat of the Mughal Empire. The guide book describes the fort as a "sandstone carcass of its former self", but I thought the crumbling ruins gave a fitting glimpse into the decadence that once had its home here. We also saw the Jama Masjid Mosque, which offers a relatively peaceful oasis in the middle of the crazy and crowded old city.



After a day in the capital we started our whistlestop tour of Rajasthan - the desert state. The first stop was Agra (actually in Uttar Pradesh but near to Rajasthan). It turned out to be more difficult than we thought to get to (see Lewys' blog for full details of us turning up a month early for our train and a pigeon using my head as a toilet). Agra itself isn't much to look at but the main attraction, the Taj Mahal, doesn't disappoint. With its perfect goemetric shape and flawless white marble walls that shimmer in the dawn sunlight it looks unreal, almost etherial. It manages to balance perfect simplicity with the most elaborate detail and is far more beautiful than I had imagined. Another, more unexpected delight in Agra was the impressive fort, which sits along the banks of the Yamuna River. Apart from the small Indian man of about 40 who asked if Lewys was my husband and tried to take pictures of me, twice, it was a beautiful place to spend the afternoon.



En route from Agra to Jaipur we stopped for a night in Fatehpur Sikri, a small town with an historic fort (yep, another fort!). We got quite a bit of hassle here, mostly from young guys who claimed they weren't guides but 'students' wanting to give a free tour to practice their English - a likely story! The highlight was sitting in the magnificent mosque and watching the sun set.



Jaipur was not my favourite place. We were pestered a lot by tuk-tuk drivers and I was stared at constantly by Indian men because of my blonde hair and fair skin - I think we both found it pretty difficult to deal with sometimes. We visited the City Palace, which was ok but compared with the simple elegance of the Taj Mahal it seemed gaudy and over the top to me. Climbing the 'Heaven Piercing Minaret', however, gave us a spectacular view over the city. It was originally built so that the ladies of the court could watch the happenings of the city below, and it still offers an amazing vista of the pink city.



The next stop was Jodhpur, the pretty blue city which nestles below the imposing Mehrangarh Fort (that's 4 and counting). Jodhpur was much smaller and therefore more manageable than the other cities we had visited. The colourful bazaar that surrounds the clocktower and main square was a great place to wander around and haggle over silk scarves (Lewys was less interested in this, not sure why..). The fort itself was also my favourite out of the many we saw in Rajathan because it was really well-maintained and there was a free audio-tour, which was really interesting (yes, I'm that cool). We ended up spending a few days longer in Jodhpur than we'd planned because Lewys was ill, but it meant we could see the crazy Holi festival there. People have bonfires and throw colored powder and water over eachother - we got a soaking from some kids who threw a bucket of water over us from their balcony, then they pulled faces and ran away!



Our last city to see in Rajasthan was Jaisalmer, a fort town that was even smaller again and on the edge of the Thar Desert. There we did the obligatory 'Jeep" (closer to Lewys' Citroen ZX than any jeep I've ever seen) and Camel safari. We were a little short on time so we only spent an afternoon riding the Camels among the nearest available sand-dunes, which was long enough I think (some people do it for nearly two weeks - I think saddle-sore would be an understatement!). It was a fun afternoon and it was really nice to get out of the city for the first time in 2 weeks. Our camel driver Nihal and his little son were great and made the experience really enjoyable. After a couple of hours riding around we stopped to watch the fiery sun set over the endless horizon - definitely worth it.



Our trip around Rajasthan ended with a lovely 19 hour sleeper train back to Delhi, which was surprisingly ok. Next we make our way to the South, which I think is a lot more relaxed than the north and so will have more of a holiday atmosphere (so I'm told!). Rajathan is an amazing part of India and I think we were definitely thrown in at the deep end starting there. Despite all the 'annoyances' we've had an incredible couple of weeks.



Well that's all for now, hope you enjoyed my ramblings!

Lots of Love xxx

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